I won't slag anyone off. But all was not as it seamed last night, as we sipped our coke and dug lots of lyrics about Collieries. But no-one seamed to mined. And that's enough puns on a popular theme for now. I'll have no truck with that.
Last night saw a second entertaining
night at Newdigate Club , at Bedworth Folk Club's new venue. More
welcoming, more spacious, and much more friendly than the Black Bank,
It was a broad cross section of people who turned up to support the
Summer Big Sing there. All proceeds went towards the Bedworth Folk
Festival. Eleven different acts worked through an eclectic mix of
material. Malc Gurnham and Gill Gilsenan, Dave Webb, Alan Stocks,
Brian Phillips, Dave Parr, Katherine Fear, Dave Fry, John Kearney,
Des Patalong, Terry and Jan Wisdom and Geoff Veasey.
John Kearney
continues to pull fresh tricks out of the hat, like a conjurer
producing a rabbit. I'd heard his Bob Marley/Traditional Irish medley
before but some audience members hadn't and they took to it
immediately, singing along and chuckling in alternate measures. This
despite some weirdly timed hand clapping from the irascible and very
vocal Joe Roberts. Des sang the magnificent and haunting Shallow
Brown which remains the saddest song about Slavery I know. Dave Parr
did an instrumental and one of his racier songs. Jan Wisdom treated
us to one of her own compositions,ably demonstrating that
her songwriting is every bit as good as her lovely, flawless vocals.
Dave Fry had me gritting my teeth over the Strawb's “Part Of The
Union.” The audience loved it and bayed out the chorus lines
robustly. Dave delivered it expertly and professionally. I just
loathe the song and everything it stands for. Sorry, Dave!
Katherine Fear gave
us three of her songs and gave me a gratis copy of Daisybell's new eponymous CD. ( Fair enough-I coined their name!) Katherine Included a song about Miners. There
was a heavy emphasis on Mining songs throughout the evening and
although this remains apt (because the Newdigate Club used to have
Newdigate Colliery opposite), Coal mining is not the only industry
Beduff is (or was) renowned for. Iron, Manganese, Copper and clay were also mined, and there were stone, sand and gravel
quarries in abundance. There were also several brickworks, including one
next to Newdigate Colliery. Silverware, clothing and regalia, needles, Hats and
Gloves,hooters and whistles were also made in factories in the town. My Dad worked in Bayton Road, and one of his jobs was to inspect batches of components fabricated there for Harrier Jump Jets. But no-one sings songs about them. Yet...........
I sang an old
favourite from the past, The BPS version of “ Beside The
Seaside.” This was all set to be on our 2008 album until “
The Bold Pirate ” knocked it down in the running order. It took
longer than intended, partly because I started it at a funereal pace,
partly to accommodate the lengthy choruses, and partly to field some
good-natured heckling. It is a slightly amended version to the
original, this, and as our version is nearly forty years old, it has
also had to have modifications made over that period of time. “ The
line “Rolf Harris in a Show” for example, always scanned
well he but had to be edited out a few years ago. I replaced him with
Orville-but then he died. It's Les Dennis at the moment.....
Following a Summery
theme, I added “ Down Our Street.” It was well received,
with the choruses well sung. Although, I heard one of the older
regulars muttering, “ He's missed the Bread Man out.” And that's
true. I have. If I were to include all the house to house
tradespeople in a song essentially about a time when business came to
our homes,it would be a very long song. And where I grew up was
evidently tougher than downtown Beduff. Because where I lived, only
the posh people could afford a daily bread delivery-though I admit
such things existed. The rest of us just went to the local corner
shop. Or the Bakery!
